Advancements in computing devices, networks, storage devices, and digital inputs for computing devices has increased the variety of ways in which a user can interface with digital information. In particular, users now have the capability to digitally annotate, or mark up, electronic data. An “annotation,” as used herein, is additional data a user may anchor or associate with some original information. To “anchor” an annotation, as used herein, means to fix the annotation so that its association relative to some portion of original content remains the same. Typical examples of an annotation in the physical world are sticky notes attached to a document, the “sign here” flag attached to a document, bookmarks, pen scribbles on a document, etc. Digital annotations are similar to physical annotations except that they are associated with electronic data.
Not only has the advancement of computing technology provided individuals with the ability to digitally annotate documents, the improvement in computer networking has provided users with the increased ability to transfer digital content and to interact with multiple users connected to a network, such as the Internet. For example, a user in California can digitally annotate a document and e-mail that document with the digital annotation to an individual in New York, who may then view the document and the digital annotation.
Although users can digitally annotate digital content, current digital annotation techniques are limited in their flexibility and storage structure. Typically, digital annotations may only be anchored to one location within a document. Additionally, current digital annotation techniques do not store together an anchor and the content around the anchor. Not storing an anchor and the content around the anchor together requires that the digital annotations remain tied to the original information. This limits a user's ability to share portions of information, and to query digital annotations from multiple sources of information. For example, if a user has digitally annotated multiple different sources of information, such as two digital documents and a spreadsheet, the user may only search for digital annotations within each document individually. Still further, to query existing digital annotations, a user is required to query the original information source that contains the digital annotation. A user who does not have access to the original source of information does not have the ability to search for digital annotations that may be present.
Thus, based on the above-mentioned problems associated with existing digital annotation techniques, there is a need for a system and method that overcomes the deficiencies of existing digital annotation technology and provides an annotation object model that enables digital annotations where anchors and content around the anchors may be stored and represented at the same time and independent of the original information. Also desirable is a system and method that allows for multiple anchors for a single digital annotation. Still further, a system and storage structure is needed that provides users the ability to search for and view digital annotations independent of the original source of information.